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Seoul Day 6: National Folk Museum

National Folk Museum is another national museum located within the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

It is a museum with replicas of historical objects to illustrate the history of traditional life of the Korean people.

Here are some of the display.

A village scene.

Vessels use for various purpose.

A replica of the setting of a common home.

In winter, Korean house wises gathered in groups to make kimchi to feed their families throughout the cold winter, and they do so even today. The process of making kimchi is called gimjang. Kimchi is Korea’s essential dish.

Kimchi is made by soaking vegetables in salt and mixing them with various seasonings and then letting them to ferment throughout the winter. To keep kimchi fresh, Koreans bury the crocks of kimchi in the ground. In modern day, they keep them in the fridge. That’s why most Korean has two fridges in their home; one just for kimchi.

During winters in the past, vitamin deficiencies were frequent because the vegetable supply was low. So, kimchi became a good source of vitamins and other nutrients. This was why Koreans considered kimchi as a winter staple.

Nowadays, baechu kimchi, made with cabbage, is the most common type of kimchi, but in the past, kimchi was mostly made with radishes, white gourd-melons, and other ingredients.

Traditional costumes.

A modern costume.

Scenes that depicts some kind of ceremony and festival.

The above is a table for sixtieth birthday feast. The husband sat to the east and the wife to the west. The table is laden with piles of colourful fruits and delicacies, often decorated with letters symbolizing longevity.

The bier is used for conveying the corpse to the burial site. It resembles palanquin, having long poles on both sides to be shouldered by 12 to 24 pallbearers. Most villages had such a bier for common use.